It's spawned a series of cult TV commercials in the UK and Europe. But now, the weirdly-named Qashqai has achieved another major milestone

The British-designed, engineered and built Nissan Qashqai has officially topped one million sales worldwide, figures out this week confirmed.

Nissan said the "crossover" vehicle had been a "massive success in the UK" where it had secured a spot in the top ten best sellers list. "But it's not just the British who love the car, as the innovative crossover has just passed the 1,000,000 sold mark worldwide after just four years in production," said a spokesman.

Nissan said that because the Qashqai blended the style of a traditional hatchback with that of a "robust, elevated SUV", it may have appeared to be a "niche too far" initially. But in reality, it said, the vehicle had prospered. The Qashqai was updated in March 2010 with refreshed design and improved fuel economy and CO2 emissions, and has now been a mainstay of Nissan's European line-up for four consecutive years.

"Qashqai is clearly the pioneer when it comes to 'compact crossovers', setting the trend that others in the industry follow," said Guillaume Masurel, Nissan's global chief marketing manager for Qashqai. "Its balance of SUV attributes like robust design, roomy interior and higher driving position combined with the benefits of a hatchback such as great fuel economy, compactness and driving dynamics, resonates well with customers around the world."

Qashqai is currently produced in the Sunderland factory in the UK, as well as in Japan, and in China. The UK is by far the biggest producer of Qashqais, with more than 800,000 of the 1,000,000, made in Sunderland.